The LED backlighting industry is expected to see production value of US$2.69 billion in 2013, about the same as this year, reported market research firm LEDinside yesterday.
LED, or light-emitting diode, has become a popular technology, with applications in illumination and backlighting. Yet years of expansionary efforts have resulted in an oversupply. A price drop and production value decline ensued, despite LED's presence in a variety of devices such as TVs and tablet PCs.
According to LEDinside, LED backlighting output next year is expected to be US$2.69 billion, about the same as this year. The firm also predicted backlighting for tablet PCs will be the main growth driver.
Right now most TV and flat panel manufacturers have their own LED production units, which supply about 60 to 70 percent of LED products needed. According to LEDinside, these manufacturers get about 15 percent of products needed from original equipment manufacturers, which are expected to form partnerships and alliances to ensure sustainable growth.
On the other hand, growth is expected of applications in tablet PCs, which according to market research firm TrendForce are expected to ship 130 million next year, an increase from 95 million in 2012.
LED manufacturers are expected to benefit from strong sales of tablet PCs due to several factors, LEDinside pointed out. First, tablet PCs use LED as the source of backlighting. Second, LED is strongly needed to accommodate Apple's new iPad, which accounts for about 60 percent of the tablet PC market.
